Market Closeout
Brand building in an up market.
August 20, 2025
Cattle prices this week are once again setting all-time highs. At these price levels, it’s easy to let marketing slip to the background. Looking at the markets, this is somewhat understandable. Everyone is virtually guaranteed to sell cattle for more total dollars than they have ever sold them before.
However, a closer look tells a different story. Premiums and discounts are larger than they ever have been, as well.
When we break down cattle by 50-pound (lb.) increments, we see more variation within weight classes than we have ever seen.
The premiums for cattle enrolled in AngusLinkSM with AngusVerifiedSM and the Genetic Merit ScorecardSM (GMS) are the highest we have ever seen. The premiums for Non-Hormone Treated Cattle (NHTC), Natural and GAP continue to show positive returns on investment (ROI). The price spreads based on generic descriptors like breed and hide color have widened, as well.
The best way to tell if you are building a brand or are simply checking boxes is to determine if any emotion is associated with changing brands.
Many people will argue that there is no longer a premium for preconditioning calves, but this perception is only because it has become the standard. Bring in bawling calves straight off their mamas with no shots and it is obvious there are sharp discounts.
All of the items mentioned above, with standard additions like lot size, affect prices. The Genetic Merit Scorecard has created the opportunity to objectively measure the genetic merit of a pen of feeder cattle for the first time, and it is revolutionizing the way feeder cattle are marketed, similar to the way expected progeny differences (EPDs) changed how seedstock were marketed.
The rest of the equation
With that said, these differentiators in the marketplace provide valuable information to buyers, increase market access or provide marketing flexibility. They also reduce risk for buyers. They are essential components of marketing, but they are only part of the equation.
Certified Angus Beef LLC is a great example of this. The core of the CAB brand is its 10 quality specifications that differentiate it in the marketplace, but the quality specifications did not make them the largest beef brand in the world. Having a great logo, and a focused marketing strategy obviously didn’t hurt, but none of these things add up to being a brand.
Commodity markets have no brands, they simply have specifications and you get paid by meeting those specifications. The calf has a GMS beef score of 100, or it does not. Calves qualify for NHTC, or they do not. Calves are properly vaccinated, or they are not. Heifers are bred to low-birth-weight bulls, or they are not.
A brand is a promised expectation
Cattlemen more than most groups intuitively understand the value of a brand, they know that a brand is much more than a descriptor or identifier; a brand is about values, but mostly it is about customer expectations.
For example, Certified Angus Beef® has always focused on exceeding customer expectations for a quality eating experience. This promise is their brand. Their customers care. Their customers expect a good experience, and these customers have an emotional connection.
The best way to tell if you are building a brand or are simply checking boxes is to determine if any emotion is associated with changing brands. A “Ford” man is not going to shift to “Chevy” simply because of a 2-horsepower advantage for example. A Coke® drinker is not going to be happy when he is told the restaurant only serves Pepsi®.
Conversely, some of the biggest brands in the world are not brands at all. Most people don’t care about shifting from Verizon to AT&T, for example. But switching from an iPhone® to a Galaxy® can be a traumatic experience. That is why college football is so popular. You don’t see an Aggie start rooting for the Longhorns.
Your brand is essentially the promises you make. The neglected portion of a promise is that it is by definition contingent on two factors: (1) your relationship and (2) the level of trust embodied in that relationship.
AngusLink is a vital component of building a brand, but it is contingent upon the relationships it helps you build.
Editor’s note: Troy Marshall is director of commercial and industry relations for the American Angus Association. [Lead photo by Lynsey McAnally.]
Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, Vol. 17, No. 8-B
Topics: Feeder-Calf Marketing Guide , Marketing , Management
Publication: Angus Beef Bulletin
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